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GUY WILLIAMS AS ZORRO PHOTO GALLERY #01 |
Updated: January 16, 2022
By this time, the Disney name was a proven ratings draw, and no pilot was needed. Walt
immediately set to work on a search for someone to play Zorro, knowing full well that
whoever he picked, comparisons to Tyrone Power were inevitable. This was a much sought
after role, for Disney's success with Davy Crockett was not lost on a host of other
actors who could only dream of being the Studio's next Fess Parker. More than 20 actors
were tested for the part, including Hugh O'Brian, John Lupton, Jack Kelly, Dennis Weaver
and David Janssen. On April 18, 1957, the Studio held a screen test for a relatively
unknown actor, Guy Williams. When Walt saw the results, he knew he had found his
Zorro.
Guy Williams, whose real name was Armando Catalano, was born on January 14, 1924 in
New York. After school, he worked as a male model and came to the attention of MGM and
then Universal-International Studios, who put him under contract in 1952. Although he
appeared in films such as Bonzo Goes to College, Mississippi Gambler, Seven Angry Men,
Sincerely Yours, I Was A Teenage Werewolf, The Last Frontier and Man From the Alamo,
Williams' parts were relatively small and it looked like his hopes of becoming a leading
man were in vain. By the time Disney found the 6'3" actor, Williams was almost ready to
give up his acting career.
Luckily for Williams, he was auditioned for the role of Zorro, and to his astonishment, he
found himself the star of a network series.
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